Rapid-action valve operator



A. TEPLITZ May 13, 1969 RAPID-ACTION VALVE OPERATOR Filed Aug. 8, 1966 mm WV WW w. QM

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A! rarney United States Patent 3,443,787 RAPID-ACTION VALVE OPERATOR Alfred Teplitz, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to United States Steel Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 8, 1966, Ser. No. 570,893 Int. Cl. F16k 31/12, 31/44 US. Cl. 251--58 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The apparatus of the invention is for use in operating a spray nozzle of an article-marking apparatus and includes a cam and yoke structural arrangement whereby a paint spray nozzle is operated at relatively high speed to cause the spray nozzle to discharge a fluid burst of milliseconds duration so that clearly distinguishable indicia can be produced on material moving at a relatively high speed.

The present invention relates generally to fluid valves and more particularly to a rapid-action valve operator especially suitable for use in apparatus for repetitively marking moving material.

One type of apparatus for repetitively stenciling identifying indicia on metal plate, strip or like material traveling along a processing line includes valved nozzles for supplying ink or other marking fluid under high pressure to stencils positioned over the path of the material passing along the processing line. The valved nozzles are opened for a short period of time at predetermined intervals to apply an identifying mark at spaced intervals along the length of the material being processed. One example of an apparatus of this general type is disclosed by Patent No. 3,143,960.

Prior to my invention, considerable difficulty was encountered in obtaining satisfactory results with such apparatus especially when used to mark material traveling at relatively high speeds. Such difliculty resulted primarily from the fact that the valved spraying nozzles of such marking apparatus could not be operated, i.e., opened and closed, fast enough to produce distinctly legible indicia on the fast moving material. It has been developed that satisfactory markings can be achieved on material moving at speeds in excess of 175 feet per minute if a short burst of marking ink of a few thousandths of a second duration is sprayed through a stationary stencil onto the moving material. To my knowledge, it has not been possible, heretofore, to operate the valved spray nozzles of marking machines at such a rate.

It is, accordingly, the primary object of my invention to provide a rapid-action fluid valve operating device whereby a valve can be opened to discharge a fluid burst of milliseconds duration.

It is a more specialized object of my invention to provide a device as generally set forth by the above statement of object in which the stem of the valve is connected with and movable by a spring-loaded cam follower having a cam roller incorporated therein; and a cam, actuated by a fluid pressure motor, is disposed for reciprocal movement in a path intersecting a radial sector of the cam roller whereby the valve stem of the valve is moved to open position when the cam engages the roller and is instantly returned to closed position when the cam travels past the roller in either direction.

It is another object of my invention to provide a device as set forth by the foregoing objects which is inexpensive to construct, simple in structure, and which can be readily adapted for use on existing marking machines employing valved fluid-spray nozzles.

These and other objects will become more apparent after referring to the following specification and attached drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a marking apparatus having the rapid-action valve operator of the invention incorporated therein;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an elevational view looking at the left side of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged elevational view partly in section taken substantially along the line IV-IV of FIG- URE 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, reference character 2 designates generally a marking apparatus having the rapid-action valve operator of the invention, designated generally by reference character 4, incorporated therein.

The marking apparatus 2 includes an upright supporting pedestal 6 mounted on a base 8 adjacent one side of a plate mill conveyor 10. A stencil holder 12 is mounted on the pedestal 6 and extends transversely above the conveyor 10 for supporting a stencil of the mark to be applied on the plate product traveling along the conveyor. A bracket 14 is connected with and extends normal to the pedestal 6 above the stencil holder for rigidly supporting a spray gun 16. The spray gun 16 is conventional and may be of the type manufactured by Spraying Systems Company of Bellwood, Ill., and designated as Model 24A 8395 Gunjet Spray Gun. The spray gun includes a spray nozzle 18 in the form of a needleyalve having a valve stem 20 reciprocal therein with one end projecting from the valve body and its other end adapted to fit in a seat at the discharge end 22 of the spray nozzle to thereby close the discharge opening. A tube 18 connects the spray nozzle with a supply of ink under pressure.

The structure thus far described is not claimed as my invention, the details of which will now be described.

The outwardly projecting portion of the valve stem 20 is connected with a shock-absorbing ring 26 which, in turn, is connected to the bottom of a yoke member 28 by means of a screw and threaded block means 30.

The yoke member 28 consists of a pair of spaced upright posts 32, which are preferably circular in cross-section, and transverse plate members 34 and 36 connecting the posts at the tops and bottoms thereof, respectively. A lug 36 depends from the bottom of transverse member 36 and prevents ring 26 from turning. The posts 32 are each formed with externally threaded reduced-diameter end portions 32' which project through counterbored holes in the transverse members 34 and 36. The transverse members are secured to the posts by lock nuts 40 which are threaded on the projecting end portions 32', as best shown in FIGURE 4.

The yoke member 28 is supported for limited vertical movement by a rigid supporting plate 42 which is mounted on and projects, in cantilever fashion, from a bracket 44 rigidly mounted on the top of the supporting pedestal 6. The plate 42 is shaped with opposed lateral flanges in which are fitted elongated cylindrical hub elements 46 which are welded to and extend above and below the plate. The portions of the posts 32 intermediate the transverse members 34 and 36 are slidably fitted in the hub elements 46. A pair of top and bottom sleeves or bushings 48 is provided in each of the hub elements 46 surrounding the posts 32. Transverse members 34 and 36 are spaced from and transversely span the top and bottom surfaces of the plate 42.

The length of each of the hub elements 46 is less than the distance between the transverse members 34 and 36 of the yoke 28 to permit limited vertical movement of the yoke relative to the rigid supporting plate 42. A resilient washer 50 may be provided around each of the posts 32 between the top transverse member 34 and the upper ends of the hub elements 46 for the purpose of absorbing shock created by vertical movement of the yoke 28 relative to the plate 42.

A helical spring 52 is disposed in the yoke 28 with one end bearing against the undersurface of the plate 42 and its other end seated on and bearing against the bottom transverse plate member 36. The spring 52 constantly urges the yoke 28 downwardly so that the valve stem is constantly biased toward the position in which it maintains the discharge opening of the spray nozzle 18 closed.

The top transverse plate member 34 is provided with an aperture 53 in which is journaled a roller 56 rotatably mounted on a pin 58 fitted in the transverse member 34 spanning the aperture 54. The pin 58 is secured in the transverse member 34 by means of a set screw 60, as best shown in FIGURE 4.

A double-acting pneumatic cylinder 62 is mounted in horizontal position on the bracket 44 with its rod end directed toward the supporting plate 42 and its piston rod 64 adapted to move longitudinally of the supporting :plate 42 through the yoke 28. A cylindrical cam 66 is carried by the projecting end of the piston rod 64 and is adapted to roll along the upper surface of the plate 42 and engage the roller 56 in yoke 28 to raise the yoke and lift the valve stem 20 to open the discharge end 22 of nozzle 18 when the piston rod 64 travels through the yoke on projection or retraction.

In operation, when it is desired to apply a mark on a plate P traveling along the conveyor 10, the pneumatic cylinder 62 is energized to project the piston rod to the position shown by broken lines in FIGURE 1 and thereby cause the cam 66 to engage the roller 56 as the leading end of the piston rod 64 passes through the yoke 28. Engagement of the cam 66 with the roller 56 causes the yoke 28 to be moved upwardly against the force of the helical spring '52, thereby displacing the valve stem 20 upwardly and away from the discharge opening of the spray nozzle 18 and causing a spray of ink to be emitted from the discharge end 22 of the nozzle. The ink passes through a stencil in the stencil holder 12 and forms a mark on the plate P. The spring 52 returns the yoke to its normal position immediately after the cam 66 has passed beyond the roller 54 which causes the valve stem to return to closing position in the spray nozzle 18.

The action just described is repeated each time the cam 66 passes through the yoke 28 when the piston rod 64 is projected or retracted. Repetitive marking on the plate P is accomplished by energizing the cylinder 62 to alternately project and retract the piston rod 64 as the plate is moving along the conveyor under the stencil holder 12.

Since the pneumatic cylinder 62 is essentially under no load for approximately the first half of each stroke during either projection or retraction, the piston rod 64 has accelerated to a very high speed at the instant of cam and roller engagement. Thus, the time of cam and roller engagement and spraying is very short. This time can be (i/3112i; by varying the air pressure applied to the cylin- Although I have shown the ring spring 26 interposed between the valve stem 20 and the yoke 28, this element is not essential to the operation of the apparatus of the invention. However, its presence lessens the shock on the spray nozzle parts that result from the high accelerating and de-accelerating forces occasioned by the high speed operation of the apparatus.

Although I have shown but one embodiment of my invention, it will be apparent that other adaptations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a valve including a valve body with a discharge opening, and a value stem reciproca-ble in said body to open and close said opening, a portion of said valve stem projecting outwardly of said body, the improvement therewith of a rapid-action valve operator which comprises a frame connected and movable with the projecting portion of said valve stem, resilient means in engagement with said frame constantly urging said frame and valve stem in a direction to close said discharge opening, a cam mounted for reciprocal movement transversely through said frame, a cam follower carried said frame disposed in the path of said cam whereby said frame and said valve stem are moved against the force of said resilient means in a direction to open said discharge opening when said cam engages said cam follower during movement of said cam through said frame in either direction, and power means connected with said cam for moving the same.

2. Apparatus as defined by claim 1 including shockabsorbing means interposed between and connected with said frame and the projecting end of said valve stem.

3. Apparatus as defined by claim 1 in which said power means includes a double-acting fluid pressure cylinder having a piston rod projecting therefrom, and said cam is connected with said piston rod.

4. In a valve including a valve body with a discharge opening, and a valve stem reciprocable in said body to open and close said opening, a portion of said valve stem projecting outwardly of said body, the improvement therewith of a rapid-action valve operator which comprises a frame connected and movable with the projecting portion of said valve stem, resilient means in engagement with said frame constantly urging said frame and valve stem in a direction to close said discharge opening, a cam mounted for reciprocal movement transversely through said frame, a cam follower carried by said frame disposed in the path of said cam whereby said frame and said valve stem are moved against the force of said resilient means in a direction to open said discharge opening when said cam engages said cam follower during movement of said cam through said frame in either direction, power means connected with said cam for moving the same, and a rigid platform extending transversely through said frame, said cam being mounted for reciprocal movement along said platform, said frame being movable relative to said platform, said resilient means comprising a coil spring having one end bearing against said platform and its other end bearing against said frame, and said cam follower being disposed adjacent said platform opposite said coil spring.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,243,937 6/1941 Almond 251- X 2,321,423 6/1943 Rogers 251-75 X 2,961,004- 11/ 1960 Aldinger et a1. 137-624.13 3,014,493 12/ 1961 Seger 251-31 X ARNOLD ROSENTHAL, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 251-75 

